No description available.

No description available.

Biomass gasification is a technology under development that presents a means of generating hydrogen using renewable energy. While many forms of gasification have been investigated, steam gasification using a dual fluidised bed (DFB) reactor has been shown to efficiently produce high hydrogen content producer gas. The aims of this research were to increase the hydrogen yield from the 100kW DFB gasifier installed at the University of Canterbury, and thereby improve the current state of the art of gasifier operation. Calcium carbonate-based minerals such as calcite and dolomite were shown to be able to improve hydrogen production by absorbing carbon dioxide in the producer gas, promoting the water gas shift reaction. Bed material mixtures of olivine and calcite were the most effective at improving gasifier performance, increasing producer gas yield by 20%, increasing cold gas efficiency by 6% and increasing hydrogen yield by 85%. In addition, the carbon monoxide content was reduced and the ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide in the producer gas was ideal for Fisher-Tropsch synthesis of liquid fuels.

The lack of a suitable system for hot gas cleaning is the greatest obstacle to the development of gasification combined-cycle power generation. In this work, a shallow 0.15 m diameter fluidised bed of 1 mm sand particles was used as a filter for 0.5-10 mum gasifier char particles redispersed in nitrogen at 700-900°C and 1 bar a. Earlier work has suggested that, for a correctly-designed low free-area distributor, initial collection efficiencies greater than 99% at 2 could be realised but that poor retention limits the overall filtration efficiency. As an aid to retention, heavy fuel oil was sprayed continuously into the bed using a concentric-tubs atomiser. With this arrangement, theoretically-predicted filtration efficiencies were approached for particles below; 7 mum in size, but the overall performance was seriously marred by secondary aerosol originating from the addition of the oil itself. The results suggested that two modes of filter operation are possible; at lower gas and retention-aid flowrates the challenging aerosol is retained on the collector; at higher gas and retention-aid flov/rates the challenging aerosol is agglomerated and re-emitted from the bed in a distribution with a larger mean size. The operation of various instruments for particle size measurement below 10 mum has been reviewed, and their capabilities have been compared by experiment. The method selected (collection in a liquid impinger, followed by off-line analysis by "Coulter Counter") is described in detail. The addition of a liquid retention-aid to a fluidised bed can cause modification of its fluidisation behaviour, leading eventually to catastrophic defluidisation. Theoretical and experimental aspect of these effects are discussed, leading to the development of an experimental method for direct measurement of interparticle forces, and an expression for the transition condition between Geldart's (1973) groups A and B.

No description available.

No description available.

The pyrolysis of biomass is a thermochemical process in which woody biomass is converted to several high-value products such as bio-oil, bio-char and syngas. The forestry sector has shown particular interest in this process as a large quantity of biomass is produced as an underutilised by-product in this sector annually. Dual fluidised beds (DFBs) have been identified as a feasible reactor system for this process. However, little attention has been given to the optimisation or to the design of a scalable DFB for the pyrolysis of biomass process. Therefore, the objective of the current project was the design, modelling and construction of a scalable dual fluidised bed system for the pyrolysis of biomass. In order to achieve this objective, several tasks were performed, which included the following: <ul> <li> A literature study was done in order to obtain a theoretical foundation for the current project.</li> <li> A novel dual fluidised bed reactor system was designed, which included the block flow diagram and the process and instrumentation diagram for the system.</li> <li> A cold unit of the system was built in order to test the performance of the system.</li> <li> A comprehensive model for the system was developed, which included mass and energy balance considerations, hydrodynamics and reaction kinetics.</li> <li> A complete pilot-scale system of the proposed design was built and tested at the University of Pretoria.</li></ul> Solids are heated by means of combustion reactions in one of the fluidised beds in the proposed dual fluidised bed design. An overflow standpipe is then used to transport the solids to a second fluidised bed in order to provide the energy required for the endothermic pyrolysis reactions. The cooler solids are then fed back to the combustion fluidised bed by means of a screw-conveyor, creating a circulating system. A two-stage model was used to model the pyrolysis reactions. In this model, the wood is converted to bio-char, syngas and tar compounds. The tar compounds are the desired product as they can be condensed to form liquid bio-oil. However, these compounds undergo a second reaction in the gas phase in which they are converted to bio-char and syngas. It is therefore necessary to quench these gases rapidly in order to maximise the yield of bio-oil obtained from the system. Bio-oil is a source of many high-value chemicals and can also be upgraded to produce liquid bio-fuels. A portion of the syngas is recycled back to the pyrolysis fluidised bed in order to fluidise the bed. In this way, oxygen is prevented from entering the pyrolysis fluidised bed, which would cause the biomass in the bed to undergo combustion rather than pyrolysis. The operating temperatures of the combustion and pyrolysis fluidised beds were optimised at 900°C and 500°C respectively. A cold unit of the system was built at the Agricultural Research Service in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA. From the experiments performed on this unit it was found that the solid transport mechanism designed during the project is suitable for the pyrolysis of biomass process. In addition, the solids circulation rate between the two beds was easy to control, which is necessary in order to maximise the yield of bio-oil obtained from the system. A pilot-scale unit of the dual fluidised bed design was built in order to finalise the design and ensure that it could be scaled up. This system included all the downstream units, which had to be designed for the dual fluidised bed system. Several cold-run experiments were also performed on the pilot-scale system in order to ensure that it would perform as required during operation. It was found that the combustion fluidised bed could be fluidised as required and that the circulation of solids between the combustion and pyrolysis fluidised beds functioned well and could be easily controlled. Therefore, it was concluded that the proposed dual fluidised bed system is suitable for the pyrolysis of biomass process and is a feasible reactor system for the large-scale pyrolysis of biomass. The large-scale operation of the proposed dual fluidised bed system offers several advantages, particularly within the forestry sector. These advantages have important implications, as follows: <ul> <li> The current research offers the opportunity for the forestry sector to shift its focus from the production of traditional wood products, such as pulp and paper, to products such as specialised chemicals.</li> <li> The bio-oil produced in the dual fluidised bed system can be upgraded to renewable liquid fuels, which may help reduce the dependence of the infrastructure on fossil fuels.</li> <li> The dual fluidised bed system provides an opportunity for capturing and removing CO2 from the atmosphere in the form of bio-char. It is therefore considered to be a carbon-negative process, and may help reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases.</li> <li> The bio-char produced in the dual fluidised bed system can be used to feed nutrients back to plantation floors in the forestry sector, thereby aiding the growth of further plantations.</li></ul> Copyright / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Orientador : Theo Guenter Kieckbusch / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos e Agricola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-15T11:47:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Finzer_JoseRobertoDelalibera_M.pdf: 30702047 bytes, checksum: 3a3df374efcd7bfd961d66463ff002c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 1984 / Resumo: Desenvolveu-se um protótipo de secador de leito vibro-fluidizado, que foi testado na desidratação de anéis de cebola. O e-quipamento reduz o tempo de secagem de cebola e melhora a qualidade do produto desidratado, quando comparado com secadores conven-cionais.Foram determinados os parâmetros ótimos de vibração, visan-do consumir um mínimo de energia. Deu-se ênfase especial à descrição do comportamento fluido-dinâmico do leito vibro-fluidizado.Verificou-se a influência das condições do ar e da cebola na secagem em leito estático e vibro-fluidizado. Os parâmetros investigados foram: velocidade e temperatura do ar, carga de cebola no leito e dimensões das fatias de cebola. Foram definidas as me-lhores condições de operação, visando principalmente um produto uniforme em forma e no conteúdo de umidade e obtido com reduzido tempo de secagem. Efetuou-se um estudo sensorial com a cebola reconstituída a fim de delimitar as melhores opções de operação, mantendo um com promisso de uma qualidade aceitável. Ensaios de reconstituição revelaram que a cebola desidratada sob influência vibracional, apresenta maior velocidade de rehidratação do que a obtida em leito estático.Realizou-se uma análise matemática utilizando um modelo que relaciona a umidade residual da cebola com a difusividade. As e- equações obtidas permitem realizar simulação de secagem em diferentes condições de operação / Abstract: A prototype of a vibro-fluidized bed dryer was developed and applied to the dehydration of onion rings. Compared to conventional drying methods, this equipment reduces the drying time and improves the quality of the final product.The best vibrating parameters, in terms of energy consumption were determined. Special attention is given to the destription of the fluid dynamic behavior óf the vibro-fluidized bed. The influence of the conditions of the drying air and of the onions were determined. The parameters investigated were: air velocity and air temperature, onion-bed load and dimensions of the chopped onions. The best operation conditions were defined, seeking a product uniform in shape and in water content, obtained with a minimum drying time. Sensorial evaluations were made on reconstituted onions in order to establish the options that ensure an acceptable quality. Reconstitution tests revealed that the onion produced under vibrations showed higher rehydration rate than the one obtained in static bed. A mathematical analysis was made, making use of a diffúsional -model for water transport. The equations obtained can be used to simulate drying under different conditions / Mestrado / Mestre em Engenharia de Alimentos

South Africa has large coal reserves and produces approximately 74% of its primary energy from coal. Coal gasification using moving bed gasifiers is one of the most important coal utilisation technologies, consuming ± 17.5% of locally produced coal. This study was motivated by the need to investigate alternative coal gasification technologies for the utilisation of fine, high-ash and caking coals for future Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) and coal to liquids (CTL) plants. These coals are estimated to form a large percentage of the remaining coal reserves in South Africa and could be difficult to utilise efficiently in moving bed gasifiers. Fluidised bed gasification was identified as a technology that could potentially utilise these coals. Coals from the New Vaal and Grootegeluk collieries were selected as being suitable for this investigation. The coals were subjected to detailed characterisation, bench-scale and pilot-scale fluidised bed gasification tests. The results of the pilot-scale atmospheric bubbling fluidised bed gasification tests show that stable gasification is possible at temperatures between 880 °C and 980 °C. The maximum fixed carbon conversion achievable in the pilot plant is, however, limited to ± 88% due to the low reactivity of the coals tested and to thermal fragmentation and attrition of the coal in the gasifier. It was found that oxygen enrichment of the gasification air from 21% to 36% by means of oxygen addition produces a significant increase in the calorific value of the gas (3.0 MJ/Nm3 to 5.5 MJ/Nm3). This observation has not previously been reported at pilot-plant scale. A mathematical model for a bubbling fluidised bed coal gasifier was developed based on sub-models for fluidised bed hydrodynamics, coal devolatilisation, chemical reactions, transfer processes and fines generation. A coal devolatilisation sub-model to predict the products of coal devolatilisation in a fluidised bed gasifier was developed and incorporated into the model. Parameters associated with the rates of the gasification reactions and the devoltilisation process were obtained by means of bench-scale tests. The heat loss parameter (Q) in the model was estimated by means of a heat loss calculation. The results from the pilot-scale gasification tests were used to evaluate the predictive capability of the model. It was found that for temperature, fixed carbon conversion and calorific value of the gas the difference between measured and predicted values was less than 10%. Recommendations are made for further refinement of the model to improve its predictive capability and range of application. The model was used to study the effect of major operating variables on gasifier performance. It was found that increasing the reactant gas (air, oxygen and steam) temperature from 250 °C to 550 °C increases the calorific value of the gas by ± 9.3% and the gasification efficiency by ± 6.0%. Increasing the fluidised bed height has a positive effect on fixed carbon conversion; however, at higher bed heights the benefit of increasing the bed height is less due to the inhibiting effects of H2 and CO on the rates of char gasification. / PhD (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Fluidised bed drying is currently receiving much attention as a dewatering option after the beneficiation of fine coal (defined in this study as between 1mm and 2mm particles). The aim of this study was to investigate the removal of moisture from fine coal by using air at relatively low temperatures of between 25°C and 60°C within a controlled environment by lowering of the relative humidity of air. The first part of the experimental work was completed in a controlled climate chamber with the coal samples in a static non-fluidised state. Drying in the second part was carried out using a fluidised bed with conditioned air as the fluidising medium. Introduction of airflow to the system led to a lower moisture content in the coal samples and it also proved to have the ability to increase the drying rate. It was determined that the airflow had the ability to remove more free moisture from the filter cake. In addition more inherent moisture could also be removed by using upward flowing air, resulting in a lower equilibrium moisture content. It was proven that the airflow rate and relative humidity of the drying air contributed to faster drying rates. The effect of temperature was not as significant as expected, but higher temperatures did increase the drying rate at higher airflow and lower humidity conditions. The larger surface areas of particles create surface and capillary forces that prevent the moisture from leaving the finer coal particles. It was found that the rate of drying is independent of the moisture content in the coal sample. Just in terms of the fastest drying time and drying rate in the fluidised bed, it was concluded that the most efficient conditions is airflow above minimum fluidisation point causing vigorous mixing and maximum contact with the drying air. In addition to the high airflow it was concluded that 30% relative humidity and 55°C resulted in the fastest drying time. All the drying processes at all the airflow rates, temperature and relative humidity conditions were energy efficient. This process was shown to be energy positive, resulting in an overall energy gain. The overall energy consumption for the fluidised bed is lower than for all the dryer systems compared to and it compared favourably with other thermal drying technologies. It was therefore shown that this is a viable technology for the dewatering of fine coal. / MIng (Chemical Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014